Top 7 Ways To Improve Customer Service, Without
Spending A Dime
By Drs. Marty Eerhart
1) Fire your
headache customer. Every business has a few problem clients.
You can't please them, regardless of what you do. Cut your losses,
and move on. By focusing in on your "good customers". Your overall
profits will increase.
2) Have a
"quality team meeting?" Set aside some time to get the
different members of your teams together, and brainstorm how you can
improve your customer service.
3) Make
changes by listening to your customers. Then, make the next
step and implement the suggestions.
4) Use common
sense like using the customer's name, greeting a new customer
and smiling.
5) Manage
expectations. During the sales process, don't promise many
things, and then only deliver those things. Instead, promise a
little less, and when you get the new customer, give a little
more.
6) The
30-second Hi-and-Bye script. This idea came from a business
owner who got tired of all the promotional mailings and calls to
draw people into his car detailing shop. He had his employees call
every local customer they had. The script was very simple:
"Hi, this is Joe from Joe's auto detailing. I hope your car
is still shining. It was a pleasure to serve you. Have a super day,
and good bye" That was the whole script. The customer who hung up
the phone had no clue what just happened, since they were never
asked to buy anything. Imagine the owner's surprise when 24% of
these customers returned the same month because they like the idea
of a shining car.
7) Use modern
day technology. Numerous small business owners use technology
to improve customer service. For example, software that will read
the caller-id number that comes in, and automatically pops up the
customer record on the computer screen or Wildfire, a voice
activated voice mail system and "Universal number." This special
number can be used to (1) leave message, (2) locate the person, (3)
accepts faxes, or can (4) page the person.
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Top 7 Ways to
Build Rapport with a Caller
By Myra Golden
Here are seven field-tested and proven
strategies you can implement beginning with your very next call to
help you build rapport and make every caller feel taken care of.
1) Use the caller's name.
Using the caller's name shows you are genuinely interested
in your customers and makes future dialogue or problem solving much
easier because using names helps you create
rapport.
2) Give the caller your name.
Giving the caller your name demonstrates accountability and
communicates a sincere desire to help. It also gives customers a
reference should they need to call your company
back.
3) Apologize in the wake of
problems.
Whether you're dealing with a long wait time for
service or product or service mishap, an apology goes a long way to
disarm an angry customer. Keep in mind the fact that customers
expect an apology whether the error is their own or the fault of the
company. Always apologize and be sure your tone sends the same
message.
4) Always get permission to put a
caller on hold.
We assume that customers have the time to
hold, but that is not always the case. It's polite to ask the caller
if it's all right to put her on hold when you need to quickly
research something. Simply ask, "Are you able to hold for a few
moments?" And of course, wait for an affirmative
response.
5) Tell the caller what you're going
to do.
We've all felt helpless on the telephone when we've
been put on hold indefinitely or transferred to three departments
and still not talk to the right person. When we do this to callers,
we are telling them they have no choice and certainly no control
over the situation. These feelings produce frustration and a
negative impression of you and your company. One way to avoid this
is to tell callers what you are going to do "before" you do it.
When transferring callers to another department, give them
the name of the department and the person you are connecting them
with. If you need to place callers on hold, tell them so and ask if
that's acceptable. Finally, inform callers. If you have trouble
finding the person they are trying to reach, explain the situation
diplomatically, and then give options.
6) Thank the person for calling.
Customer feedback adds value to organizations: Customers are
giving you a second chance to satisfy them and they're giving you
feedback that can help you make business improvements. Express your
appreciation for this valuable contribution by saying, "Thank you
for taking the time to tell us about this. We appreciate customers
who let us know when things aren't right." Many customers will be
shocked. All will remember you with goodwill.
7) Let your caller hang up first.
It's polite to let your caller hang up first and in most
cases, your caller will hang up within 2 - 4 seconds of the last
spoken word. If we rush to disconnect, we may cut off a customer who
had one more question or we can give the impression that we are in a
hurry (which is interpreted as "we don't really care").
When
you do these very simple things you will create a great impression
for the company and you'll find that satisfying customers is much
easier because your customers feel taken care of every step of the
way.
Myra Golden
is an award-winning professional speaker and principal of Myra
Golden Seminars, LLC, a customer service training firm serving
clients in food and beverage, banking, healthcare, hospitality, and
other industries. Her client list includes McDonald's, Johnson &
Johnson, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, Michelin Tires, Pirelli, and Procter
& Gamble, among many others.
